Elena's eyes snapped open.
The unfamiliar ceiling.
The cold air.
The silence.
Everything felt wrong.
For a second, she didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Because her mind was still trying to catch up—
Still trying to understand how she got here.
Then it hit her.
The darkness.
The voice.
The helicopter.
Her body jolted upright.
Too fast.
The sudden movement made her head spin, and she pressed a hand to her temple, trying to steady herself.
Her breath came uneven.
Her heart raced.
Where am I?
Before she could gather her thoughts—
A slow clap echoed through the room.
Sharp.
Mocking.
Her body froze.
Her eyes snapped toward the sound.
And there—
Standing near the far wall—
He was there.
Leaning casually, as if he had all the time in the world.
Watching her.
Waiting.
A slow smile stretched across his lips.
"Well…"
His voice came out smooth.
Dangerously amused.
"How do you feel in your new home?"
Elena's breath hitched.
Her fingers curled into the bedsheet beneath her.
Every instinct screamed at her to run.
But her body—
Still weak.
Still dizzy.
Still recovering—
Barely responded.
"Stay… away from me…"
Her voice trembled despite her effort to sound firm.
"Don't come any closer…"
The tremor in her tone was a confession of her weakness, and it was a sound he clearly savored.
A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth, sharp and dangerous.
"No, my little bird," he murmured, the distance between them shrinking with every terrifying second.
"I am not like Adrian."
He paused, letting the name hang in the air like a curse, watching the way her pupils dilated at the mention of her former tormentor.
"I am far worse than him."
The revelation hit her like a physical blow, leaving her breathless and paralyzed in shock.
Before her mind could even begin to map out an escape route, he moved with the speed of a striking viper.
His hand shot out, grabbing her arm and hauling her roughly against the hard plane of his chest.
The impact forced a sharp gasp from her lungs as her soft curves were crushed against his unyielding frame.
He let out a low, guttural groan, a sound of primal satisfaction that made the hair on her arms stand up.
"Damn, woman," he whispered, his husky voice vibrating against her ear, thick with an undeniable hunger.
"You are making me hard. I don't know how much longer I can maintain my control."
Panic flared in her gut, a white-hot spark of adrenaline that gave her a burst of desperate strength.
Elena shoved her palms against his shoulders, pushing with everything she had, her muscles straining until they trembled.
It was like trying to move a mountain; he didn't budge an inch, not even a flicker of movement to acknowledge her effort.
Instead, his grip tightened, his arm winding around her waist until the corset of his hold made it difficult to draw breath.
"Bad girl," he tutted, his breath hot and smelling of expensive bourbon and dark intentions.
"Is this how you worship your god, hmm? Now I have to punish you for being such a bad girl."
She began to thrash, her movements frantic and uncoordinated as the walls of the room seemed to close in.
Tears blurred her vision, hot and stinging, as she pressed her hands together in a silent, shaking prayer.
"Please," she sobbed, the word barely a whisper. "Don't do this. Please, just let me go."
He ignored her, his senses seemingly tuned to a frequency that didn't include mercy.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply, his nostrils flaring as he took in her scent.
He looked like a starving man presented with a feast, a man who hadn't eaten in years and found his only salvation in her skin.
Elena's pleas fell on deaf ears, drifting away like smoke in a storm as he focused entirely on the heat of his own dark desires.
Far away—
Adrian stood in front of a massive digital map.
Screens filled the room.
Coordinates.
Signals.
Routes.
Every possible lead.
Every possible trace.
His men moved quickly around him.
Working.
Searching.
Trying.
But nothing—
Nothing was enough.
"Boss…"
One of the men spoke carefully.
"We found something."
Adrian didn't turn.
"Speak."
"A partial signal earlier… before everything shut down."
A pause.
"It matches a restricted zone."
That made Adrian's eyes narrow slightly.
"Where?"
The man hesitated.
Then answered.
"Abandoned territory. No records. No population."
Silence.
Then—
Adrian turned.
Slowly.
His gaze dark.
Focused.
"Prepare the team."
His voice came out cold.
Controlled.
"We move now."
Alex stepped forward immediately.
"Boss, it could be a trap."
Adrian didn't even look at him.
"I know."
A pause.
Then—
"That's why we're going."
The air shifted instantly.
Because everyone understood—
This wasn't just a rescue anymore.
This was war.